


Arrow Tumblr Drabbles

by alessandralee



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Canon Era, Drabble Collection, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-02-11 18:10:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 10,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2078064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alessandralee/pseuds/alessandralee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of all the Arrow drabbles I've written on tumblr. All kinds of different pairings and friendships, some AUs. Pairings will be noted in the chapter title.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Felicity Smoak & Laurel Lance

It was a spectacular fall, in front of everyone and in what felt like slow motion HD.

Really, Felicity should have been used to it by now; when it wasn’t her mouth making a fool of her, it was her body, especially when she wore heels.

Still, wiping out in front of the entire Queen family Christmas party was enough to shake anyone’s confidence. She considered staying on the floor for the rest of the night, not getting up until all the guests were done.

Eventually, though, she felt someone grab hold of her arm and pull her up.

"Honestly, if I’d worn stilettos that tall, I don’t think I would have made it into my cab in one piece," Laurel’s arm wrapped comfortingly around her shoulder as the other woman steered her towards the bathroom to tend to her bruised ego.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written January 11th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	2. Tommy Merlyn & Felicity Smoak

He had almost gotten out the door, too, but before he exited he heard someone shout his name.

Her voice broke halfway through his name, as if she didn’t quite believe was she was saying.

If he just shut the door behind him, she’d never know, but despite the sound of her panda flats growing closer and closer, he couldn’t bring himself to do that.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at her either.

When she turned the corner, the baseball bat she’d been holding out in front of her dropped to the floor.

"Tommy?" she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written January 11th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	3. Felicity Smoak & Oliver Queen

"No. I get to be the one walking away this time."

It felt good to slam the door behind her, good to finally stick up for herself.

Granted, she was now unemployed and everyone thought she had slept with her (now former) boss, a fact he’d been hiding from her for months.

But even Oliver Queen couldn’t silence Isabel Rochev, whose pointed remark while waiting to be let into Oliver’s office is what clued her in to this situation.

Oliver hadn’t even apologized when she barged into his office to confront him about it in the middle of his lunch with Thea. So she didn’t feel bad about leaving him in stunned silence as she walked out of Queen Consolidated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written January 11th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	4. Tommy Merlyn/Felicity Smoak

The explosion rocked the ground beneath their feet.

For a moment, Tommy was transported to the day his father had tried to destroy the Glades, the day he’d nearly died. When he finally came to, Felicity had pulled him to safety behind a turned over table.

"I’m sorry… I just… I’m not used to…" he couldn’t get the words out. He felt completely useless, like he was more of a hindrance to Oliver’s crime fighting team than a help.

"Tommy," Felicity put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "you nearly died, it’s okay to not be okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written January 11th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	5. Tommy Merlyn/Felicity Smoak

"Fuck," Felicity curses under her breath for the umpteenth time that night. She’s already walked through the entire house and there’s absolutely no reception.

"Oliver is going to murder me. I was supposed to decrypt those files for him tonight, so we’d have a lead on those arms dealers."

Approaching slowly, Tommy wraps his arms around Felicity from behind and whispers in her ear.

"Oliver will be fine for next 12 hours. Didn’t you say he was focusing on the museum thefts anyway?"

"Yeah, but he’s still going to be pissed."

"He’s always pissed. He’d be pissed even if you decrypted those files 5 hours ago. Oliver’s default state is pissed, it’s the only way he can run himself ragged every night without keeling over in the middle of the boardroom."

"True," Felicity can’t help but agree. For all his good intentions, Oliver can be a bit grouchy about his missions.

"So I figure, you have a wonderful boyfriend who made you a fantastic dinner in this spacious country house-"

"Technically, you just bought the dinner."

"You weren’t supposed to realize that. But it’s beside the point. Dinner was delicious, we still have a second bottle sitting unopened, and there’s no way we’re getting back to Starling City tonight. We might as well make the most of it."

Felicity turns around to face him, before pulling his face in a little closer.

"I like the way you think."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written January 26th, 2014 for the prompt "snowed in."


	6. Felicity Smoak & Oliver Queen

"Felicity, I can explain."

"What is there to explain, Oliver? You knew that all of Queen Consolidated thinks we’re sleeping together, you knew they only think I have this job because of that, you knew I didn’t want this job in the first place, and you didn’t even tell me."

"I swear, I can fix it."

"How?"

His silence was all the answer she needed. She slammed the door on her way out, not even flinching when the reverberations knocked a precariously balanced tray of coffee cups to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written February 13th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	7. Barry Allen/Thea Queen

As she walked through the crowded park, she slowly let the briefcase slip and fall out of her hands, hoping that the right person would find it where it dropped.

Making ransom money drops was completely new and more than a little bit scary to Thea, and making random money drops with trackers inside them was downright terrifying. Still she was absolutely determined to ensure that Roy was safe, even if they were no longer together.

She couldn’t help it, every step she took towards the dark alley where Digg waited made her even more nervous, every step meant another second for Roy’s kidnappers to realize they’d bugged the briefcase.

Almost too quick to notice, a blur of red passes by in the corner of her vision, causing the frantic beating of her heart to calm.

Maybe when this was all over, when she wasn’t weighed down by all of this Roy-related guilt, Thea would take the opportunity to ask the speedster out for coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written February 13th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	8. Dick Grayson/Laurel Lance

Friendly cops with ice cream were now on Laurel's list of things to avoid, especially when they looked that good in dress blues.

The first time, she wasn’t even sure how it got on her desk. He’d been talking to a secretary when she got up to use the bathroom, but when she’d returned there was a small container of mint chip sitting on her desk. The note attached to it read “You looked like you could use a pick me up. -Dick Grayson”

She’s still not sure how exactly he got the ice cream, he’d been in the office all morning, going back and forth from person to person due to some case she didn’t know much about. But regardless of how he got it, he was right. That small container of ice cream was exactly what she needed to lift her spirits.

The second time it was her own suggestion, although she hadn’t meant for it to be. A few of the other women from the office had invited her out for drinks after a long day, and of course she couldn’t say yes. She really needed a distraction from the case she’d been working on, the brutal murder of a boy on his way home from school. But of course, a bar would have been the worst place for her under those circumstances.

She was halfway from her car to her apartment before he called out her name. But there he was, Officer Dick Grayson, holding a bag full of groceries in one hand. He immediately picked up on her mood and asked if everything was okay.

"Just the case I’m working on," she’d said dismissively. "I don’t supposed you have any mood-lifting ice cream in that bag."

It was supposed to be a joke, but he did. Which is how he ended up seated next to her on the couch, telling her funny stories about some of the cops he worked with while some celebrity gossip show reported on billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne in the background.

The third time was after a funeral for a cop shot in the line of duty. Laurel didn’t know him very well, but he was respected by everyone at the DA’s office, so they’d all attended as a group. Laurel, as a rule, hated funerals, but she still forced herself to go.

They reminded her of Oliver, Sara, and flood of anger and sadness and guilt their supposed had death had caused her. And they also reminded her of Tommy. There was less anger there, but more guilt and sadness.

He matched his stride to hers as everyone walked back to their cars, but neither of them said a word. Still, the sight of him, looking impeccable in his dress uniform, was a comfort. She was almost to her car when he finally spoke.

"How about some ice cream?"

It was either that, or go home and think about Tommy, so Laurel said yes. He gave her directions to an old fashioned ice cream parlor halfway across town and said he’s meet her there.

Sandy’s Soda Shoppe made Laurel feel like she’d stepped into the 1950’s. But more importantly, Dick Grayson made her feel like she had a friend. The mood was somber as he told her stories of Lieutenant Dave Cole, the man whose funeral they’d just attended. After the occasions where Dick had been kind to her, it felt nice to return the favor.

And the way his dress blues brought out his eyes certainly didn’t hurt either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written February 13th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	9. Dick Grayson/Laurel Lance

There was something about him that captured her attention.

He’d made his fair share of visits to the DA’s office, and while most of the lawyers there were friendly, none of them seemed as observant as their newest hire.

She was currently sifting through a drawer full of files, but she could tell by her posture that she was also fully aware of the fact that he was standing behind her.

"Can I help you with something, Grayson?" she asked, still not turning around.

"Do you want to get dinner this weekend?"

He’d actually intended to ask her about a case that she was working on, but apparently his mouth had other ideas.

There was a long pause before she responded.

"How about DiRaimo’s on Saturday, around eight? Kelly says their lasagna is delicious."

Maybe he should open his mouth without thinking more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written February 28th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	10. Laurel Lance & Sara Lance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Minor Character Death

This was hardly the time to laugh, but death just made her so uncomfortable.

With a cop father, and a sister and ex who both ran around at night beating the living daylights out of criminals, she really should have expected another death.

But even if she had, she would have never guessed it would be her mother, who was pretty much the one remaining normal person in her life.

The unfamiliar voice on the other end of the line was clearly upset too, she assumed it was her mother’s fiancé. She really needed to get her emotions under control.

"I’m sorry, it’s just… we only got Sara back 5 months ago… another loss… I just can’t…"

As it sunk in, the phone dropped from her hands and legs gave out underneath, causing her to fall to the kitchen. That’s where Sara found her an hour later, curled up tightly into a ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written February 28th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	11. Dick Grayson/Laurel Lance

"And what are we making again?" Laurel asks as she leans over Dick’s shoulder.

"Rosemary and garlic roast leg of lamb," he doesn’t mention that Alfred’s recipe calls for red wine, so he’s not sure how his own version is going to turn out.

She nods thoughtfully, handing him ingredients as he asks for them, but not particularly interested in these so-called “cooking lessons” he promised her. Most of her adult life was spent in the Quentin Lance school of takeout and crock pot, and she was fine with that. Not that she was opposed to having a gorgeous man cook for her, either.

An hour and a half later, Laurel takes another bite of the over-dry lamb, hoping she’s doing a good job of pretending she enjoys it.

She’s not.

"I swear it tastes much better when Alfred makes it," he promises her.

"Then maybe you’ll have to introduce me to this Alfred," she jokes.

"Maybe I will," he calls over his shoulder, as he pulls a Chinese food menu out of the kitchen drawers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written March 23rd, 2014 for the prompt "cooking lessons."


	12. Laurel Lance & Felicity Smoak & Sara Lance & Thea Queen

"I can't believe you're making me wear a tiara."

"Laurel, it’s your birthday. Embrace the crown, be princess for a day," Thea told her, reaching up to reposition the tiara on the top of her head.

"You’re lucky I was there to stop her from buying the sash, too. There were blinking lights," Felicity called out from behind the sliding doors of Laurel’s closet.

"You are an angel," Laurel replied, then turned to address Thea, "and you might be the devil."

"And who better to plan your birthday party than the devil herself."

"I’m probably going to regret this, aren’t I?" Laurel griped.

Thea was saved from having to reassure her friend, yet again, that she hadn’t gone completely overboard, by the sound of Laurel’s doorbell ringing.

"That must be Sara," she called, darting towards the door.

"Since when do you own bright yellow pumps?" Felicity asked, stepping out of Laurel’s closet with the sky high heels in her hands.

"Since the time Sara convinced me to go to a Halloween party as a bumblebee and a ladybug, only to die before we actually wore them," It felt weird to joke about, her sister who died, her sister who didn’t die, her sister who spent years as an assassin and now wore a mask and beat up criminals and night. "The costume’s probably in there too, if you want to wear it."

"I’ll pass."

"Guess what guys?" Thea reappeared. "Sara decided to wear leather. Again."

"I, for one, am shocked," Felicity joked, holding a hand to her cheek in mock surprise.

"Let me guess, it’s black."

"Ha ha ha," Sara walked into the room. "Happy birthday to you, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written March 27th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	13. Tommy Merlyn & Felicity Smoak

Between the three of us, we figured it was a good idea, but that's your "I'm too sober to deal with this" face.

Felicity hands him the shot glass, but he just shares at her in confusion.

"I’m going to need way more than that to process this."

She lifts her other hand, which he now notices is holding the full bottle of tequila.

"Much better," he ignores the glass and goes straight for the bottle.

"So let me get this straight. Sara is also not-dead, and now she’s back in town, and she started dressing up in leather and taking the law into her own hands completely separate of Oliver."

Oliver and Digg don’t seem to know what to do in this situation, so Felicity decides to take charge.

"You missed the part where she’s a trained assassin."

"Oh good, an assassin. Those are fun."

"Like your father."

He chokes on his drink, a small amount of the liquid spilling onto his ripped t-shirt.

"My father’s an assassin, too? How did I miss that? What’s next, Thea’s an alien?"

"Thea’s your half-sister."

He doesn’t have a response for that one, he just tips back the bottle and takes a large gulp.

"Anything else?"

"Well, there’s the whole you-coming-back-from-the-dead thing."

"That’s right, even I remain a mystery to myself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written March 29th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	14. Dick Grayson/Laurel Lance

"Should I just install small revolving doors, since you pay no mind to the fact that my windows lock, Officer Grayson?"

She doesn’t even turn her head away from her laptop to address him. Dick assumes he must be the only costumed vigilante in her life that regularly makes use of her windows, either that or Sara hasn’t told her she’s in Blüdhaven.

"I would have gone home and changed, Laurel, but I thought you’d have wanted to hear about this sooner rather than later."

"And what was that?" this time she looks over at him, taking in the bruise forming on his left cheek, and guessing at how many are developing under his costume.

"I had a visitor today. I believe she goes by the name Canary?"

The look on Laurel’s face makes it clear she had no idea Sara was in town. At first she’s confused, but then it turns to annoyance, and finally concern.

"She didn’t do that to your face, did she."

"No," he tells her and she looks instantly relieved. "These I already had. She stuck to verbal threats, lots of them. And from what I’ve heard about her and her League training, I should be glad she did."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written April 21st, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	15. Laurel Lance & Sara Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camp Counselors AU

It’s a friendly game, Laurel reminds herself repeatedly. It’s a children’s game, and you are an adult.

That doesn’t stop her from staying up late, long after ever her most rambunctious camper has gone to bed, trying to figure out the best strategy to beat the other teams.

So of course, on the last day of camp, when her Purple Cabin is tied for first with Sara’s Silver Cabin, she can’t help but take it personally.

It would almost be easier if it was Ollie’s Green Cabin, or Tommy’s Blue, or Felicity’s Pink, or Thea’s Gold. But it’s an older sister thing, she just can’t lose to Sara.

Which is how she finds herself standing calf-deep in mud, tugging on a rope and glaring at Sara. They’re going to win, even if her hands get rubbed raw and she won’t be able to finish any of her papers when classes start up in two weeks.

At least she thought they were going to win. But Laurel’s campers had something else in mind.

"Now," Cindy screams, and all the girls drop their rope. 

Sara and her campers fall backwards into the mud. Of course, so does Laurel.

It takes her a moment to recover, to grab a breath. And as soon as she does, she’s jumped on by her own campers, determined to get their own bit of dirty fun.

She’s covered in cold, wet mud from head to toe. It’s dripping down from her hairline and into her eyes. But when Laurel looks over at Sara, equally dirty and aiming a fistful of mud at her, Laurel can’t be mad. 

In fact, this might be the most fun she’s had since she got to camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written April 21st, 2014 for the prompt "camp counselors AU."


	16. Tommy Merlyn/Felicity Smoak

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked as she punched him in the shoulder.

"What can I say, I have a weakness for gorgeous women in short, sparkly dresses."

"Well I can count at least 5 other women in the ballroom wearing short, sparkly dresses, Tommy. And none of them need to be running facial recognition software."

"Also glasses. I really have a thing for women in glasses. And you’re the only one who is wearing both a short, sparkly dress, and glasses."

She contemplates hitting him again, but she doesn’t want to wrinkle his impeccable navy suit.

"Can you at least be useful and get me something to eat. I swear Sara’s eaten an entire plate of cocktail weenies, and not a single waiter has walked by here."

"Anything for the lovely lady."

Coming out of anyone else’s mouth, that would sound creepy. But as it turns out, Felicity has a weakness too. For rakish men in well tailored suits, who keep her amused while she waits for her computer to identify drug smugglers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written April 21st, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	17. Dick Grayson/Laurel Lance

"You're a lot heavier than you look. I'm thinking we should cut back on the take out."

She leans over and swats him on the shoulder with a pillow, remembering a moment too late the stitches he’d shown her in that shoulder the night before. Either Sara was better at hiding her injuries, or Dick just really liked to court them.

He flinches, but grins at her before she can attempt an apology.

"And it makes you mean. I think we might just have to stop completely," he tells her.

"That would be a shame, considering take out is the only reason I let you in the door anymore," she fires back.

"That’s fine. I’ll just use the windows."

"Don’t you dare."

"Only for emergencies, I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written April 21st, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	18. Dick Grayson/Laurel Lance

"Laurel-you-Dick, oh my god everyone else is going to die when they find out!"

Laurel’s not sure what annoys her more, the interruption (again, but at least this time it wasn’t one of Dick’s siblings barging in on them) or the fact that Felicity seems to have known about Dick’s nightly extra-curriculars and never mentioned it to her.

"Oh my god, does everyone know? Like was there some sort of conspiracy to keep me completely out of the loop for months?"

Both Dick and Felicity look embarrassed by what she’s called them out on.

"To be fair, I don’t think Roy knows yet. And Thea definitely doesn’t."

"You, clothes back on," she shoves Dick’s light blue t-shirt at him, and rolls off the bed, quickly doing up the buttons as she walks towards where Felicity is still awkwardly standing in the doorway, eyes bouncing back and forth between Laurel and Dick. "And you are going to buy me a cup of coffee and catch me up on exactly how long you’ve known about Mr. Nightwing over hear, so that Sara and I can have a nice chat about her need to keep secrets from me."

"It’s okay, I’ll let myself out," Dick calls from the bedroom, as Laurel and Felicity put their coats on.

"I’m locking the door," she calls back, "Make sure you lock the window behind you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written April 22nd, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	19. Felicity Smoak & Thea Queen & Sara Lance & Laurel Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gossip Bloggers AU

"You know they’re actually going to murder you when they read this, right?" Felicity says, not looking up from her computer screen.

"Sara said she was having trouble publicizing their new business. This is going to give them all the publicity they could possibly want," Thea replies innocently.

"I reiterate, they are going to murder you. You’re a terrible friend."

"You’ll see. Women will be lining up around the block for Starling’s newest private investigators. The city’s scummy boyfriends and cheating husbands will cower in fear. All because these women now believe Sara and Laurel understand what it’s like."

"I look forward to telling your bloody corpse I told you so."

"Fine, then I guess you don’t want any of the Big Belly Burger."

Sighing, Felicity gets up from her seat in front of her laptop, still open to GossipQueen’s latest post: “Billionaire Oliver Queen Torn Between Sisters.”

"You’re going to be buying a lot more than Big Belly Burger to make this up to them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written May 18th, 2014 for the prompt "gossip bloggers AU."


	20. Dick Grayson/Laurel Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Figure Skating AU

"New girl showed up late. Just leaving. Be there ASAP," the text message from Sara reads.

The means she’s at least 30 minutes away. Laurel shivers, annoyed with herself for not thinking to bring a heavier sweater to the ice rink. She looks through her US Figure Skating Championship program, trying to remember what Sara’s friend’s name is. She hopes Sara makes it in time to see him skate, otherwise this entire outing is a wash.

Richard Grayson.

She thinks that’s it.

He’s far enough down the list that Sara might actually make it in time.

Laurel scans the crowd for a familiar face. She knows Thea said her brothers were taking her for her birthday. They’re probably up in a private box, thankfully. It’s been six months and Laurel still can’t face the two of them at the same time. Thea says it’s not creepy that she dated both of them, since they’re not actually related and she didn’t even know Tommy was Thea’s brother, but still.

Her eyes land on a guy about her age, sitting in one of the skater’s boxes next to the rink. He’s wearing a blue and black warmup suit, and focusing intensely on the first competitor to skate. He’s gorgeous, and Laurel can’t keep her eyes off him. It’s more entertaining to watch him size up the competition than it is to actually watch the competition.

She spends most of the next half hour watching him, stopping occasionally to watch whoever’s on the ice because she refuses to be this level of creepy when it comes to a complete stranger.

Her phone buzzes again, another message from Sara.

"Parked. Running in now."

When Laurel looks back up, he’s gone.

A couple minutes later, Sara shimmies down the aisle to take the seat next to her.

"I didn’t miss him, did I?" she asks, out of breath.

"Two more skaters."

"Thank god. I swear I’m going to murder this new girl. She spends more time flirting than mixing drinks, and she hasn’t shown up on time once this week. I have no idea why Thea hired her, but I’d say she’s just about ready to fire her."

Sara spends the next two performances venting about work, and all the new responsibilities she has since Thea brought her on as a co-owner. She doesn’t stop talking until the name “Richard Grayson” booms over the loudspeaker.

Of course it’s the guy who she’s been ogling who takes the ice. That would be Laurel’s luck.

Sara’s cheering and clapping as the music starts, but Laurel’s completely drawn in by his performance. She swears there’s no way someone should be that graceful and acrobatic while balancing on thin blades.

It’s almost enough for her to overlook his ridiculous blue and yellow costume. But no man should be wearing that deep of a v-neck.

When the music stops Laurel comes to her senses and remembers to clap.

A few minutes after his scores are announced and he steps backstage, Sara gets a text. She leans over to Laurel and asks, “Dick wants to know if we’re up for drinks later. You in?”

The practical side of Laurel says no. She has to work tomorrow morning, and she doesn’t want to spend the night fumbling over her words to one of her little sister’s friends.

But there’s a side of her that’s tired of beating herself up over the Ollie and Tommy debacle. That side wins out.

"I’m in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written May 18th, 2014 for the prompt "figure skating AU."


	21. Dick Grayson/Laurel Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Performance Artists AU

He idly stirs his coffee as the journalist sitting across the table from him pulls a recorder out of her bag and sets it out on the table.

"Alright," she says, looking up at him with a smiles as she presses the record button, "let’s start with an easy question. The Bird Boys have been pretty under the radar for the last four years. What made you decide to come out of your early retirement?"

He laughs at the idea of an early retirement, “I guess I just wasn’t ready to be retired at 27. I enjoyed a little time off after the years of touring, but I never felt like that was really the end. It took me a few years to figure out exactly what kind of music I wanted to be making, and now I’m excited to see what the fans think.”

"Your new single is a pretty big departure from your old stuff. Any worries about how people will respond?"

"You know, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it. But like you said, it’s been four years since we disbanded. I was 18 when we started the band. And I’m the oldest brother. None of us are the same exact people we were when we started the Bird Boys. Jason’s traveling the world, Tim’s in college, and Damian’s got his GED, so he’s working for Bruce. I can’t be making the same music now that we were making back when Damian was 10. It’s not realistic. And the fans have grown up too, so I have faith that a lot of them will understand."

The woman nods, then rummages through her notes.

"I have to ask," she says, "shortly before the Bird Boys disbanded, you went through a very public breakup with popstar Laurel Lance. Have you two kept in touch?"

He laughs again, and the interviewer looks a little confused. Granted, she doesn’t have the view he does.

"A little bit. She’s made a fantastic transition into acting, and when we do talk, it sounds like she’s really enjoying herself. I’m happy for her. There’s no bitterness on my part."

There was, for a while. Until a chance meeting at this very coffee shop about a year ago. It was actually Laurel who convinced him that he could make it as a solo artist. She was the one who told him it was okay that he wanted to do it without Bruce’s help.

Which is why he’s glad she’s sitting across the coffee shop, in a very realistic dark brunette wig, pretending to read a book. It’s a comfort to know she’s supporting him every step of the way. And it’s amusing to see how easily she flies under the interviewer’s radar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written May 18th, 2014 for the prompt "performance artists AU."


	22. Sara Lance & Laurel Lance & Felicity Smoak & Thea Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gift Shop AU

"What? She was cute," Sara says to her sister after the door to the Starling Island Gift Shop swings shut and Sara returns to her post behind the counter.

"She spent 15 minutes talking about the inefficiency in the design of our plastic pirate swords."

"She’s knowledgeable. And she’s in town for the rest of the week," the last part is said with a grin.

"Be honest, you were just totally whipped by her accent," Felicity joins the conversation as she steps out from the back office.

"And you were just totally eavesdropping."

"Guilty as charged. Did you get her phone number?"

"I gave her mine. Hopefully she calls."

"Don’t worry, she’ll call," Laurel wraps an arm around her sister and pulls her close.

Meanwhile, Felicity has draped her torso over the countertop and is pretending to be be dead, careful to avoid knocking over any of the snow globes next to the cash register.

"Where is Thea? She promised she’d bring Big Belly Burger, for those of us who are not taking the afternoon off to go on dates with our super sexy boyfriends."

"You think Tommy’s sexy? I’ll let him know," Laurel teases.

Felicity visibly reddens.

"Don’t you dare. I’m still trying to live down the time I told Oliver he should consider wearing leather pants more often. I can only hide from one of Thea’s brother’s at a time."

Before Laurel can respond, the bell over the shop’s door chimes and Thea rushes in. She drops two large paper bags in front of Felicity and shoves a navy blue sundress and white flats into Laurel’s arms.

"Tommy is taking you to the Harborview," she tells Laurel. "And since I’m assuming he didn’t tell you about that in advance, I thought I’d raid your closet for something appropriate."

"You are a life saver," Laurel responds. "Although it worries me that you got into my closet without having a key to my house."

"Ollie taught me a trick."

Sara and Laurel share a knowing glance, while Felicity snorts. Of course Oliver knows how to get into strangers’ houses. It doesn’t even surprise them at this point.

"If you’ll all excuse me," Laurel announces, "I have to make sure my mascara hasn’t melted down my face before Tommy takes me out. I wouldn’t want to look bad in front of Star Island’s fanciest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written May 29th, 2014 for the prompt "gift shop AU."


	23. Dick Grayson/Laurel Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Office Job AU

"For the last time, Felicity, I am not not letting you set me up with this guy," Laurel says through a mouthful of salad.

"But he’s cute and smart, and likes women who can dominate," Felicity replies.

Laurel raises an eyebrow, and Felicity blushes.

"I meant in the boardroom."

"If you like him so much, then why don’t you date him."

"Okay, you’ve got me. He’s not the most interesting person ever. But you need to get out more. It’s been months since you and Tommy broke up and you need to get back on the horse. I just figured Greg would be a better candidate than whoever Sara wanted to set you up with."

"Neither one of you is setting me up. And you can tell Thea that I’m not interested in whoever she has in mind either."

"Thea is never going to stop hounding you about this."

"Then I’ll find someone."

Laurel scans the company cafeteria for anyone who looks promising enough to get Felicity off her back.

"Him," she tilts her head to gesture across the room, "in the navy suit next to the intern."

He has dark hair, and startling blue eyes she can make out from their seat. And when he turns around to talk to the intern, she sees the added bonus of a great ass.

"You sure know how to pick ‘em," Felicity tells her with an exaggerated grimace.

"What?"

"That’s not an intern he’s next to. That’s Timothy Drake-Wayne, my boss and son of Bruce Wayne. Which means that’s probably Dick Grayson, Wayne’s other son. You’ve got good taste."

Almost as if he can hear them talking about him, he glances their way.

"Quick, look like we weren’t staring," Laurel tells Felicity, and takes a sudden, strong interest in her salad.

"I wasn’t staring. You were. And it’s too late, he’s coming over here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written May 30th, 2014 for the prompt "office job AU."


	24. Dick Grayson/Laurel Lance

She narrowed her eyes dramatically.

"Did you knock over the statuette behind the window?" Laurel accuses.

"Maybe," Dick scrambles to come up with an excuse that will pacify Laurel, "but it my defense I’ve lost a lot of blood and it definitely wasn’t there last time I was here and it’s hiding behind a plant so you couldn’t have liked it that much anyway."

"True, but it was a gift from Thea," she replies as she pulls her freshly stocked med kit out of a cabinet and lays it out on her kitchen table. "A gift I never would have chosen for myself because it is way too phallic for my taste, but it was an expensive gift. One that she’s going to expect to see next time she visits."

"Just tell her that one of those crazy vigilantes that keep popping up all over the country fell in through your window and destroyed it. It’s almost the truth."

"Somehow I doubt that would the Arrow’s younger sister."

Dick blames the blood loss for the time it takes him to put that sentence together.

"As if your sister being the Canary wasn’t enough, your ex is the Arrow? Is he going to show up and threaten me the way she did?"

"I doubt it, but Thea might. She’s the Archer."

"And she’s okay with you telling me that?"

"She said it’s only fair since Felicity figured our that you’re Nightwing over a month ago."

"What am I going to do with you?" he asks, grinning as he leans in for a kiss.

"Sit still while I take care of your shoulder," she responds, lightly pushing him back into his chair as she starts peeling his costume off for better access to the wound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written June 29th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	25. Laurel Lance & Sara Lance

"I came out to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now."

"So this is what you’ve been sneaking around to do for the last two months?" Sara asks, taking in the red mask and costume.

"And that was just the amount of time it took to get the armor together," Laurel responds, darting past her sister to hit the man trying to sneak up on her with her staff.

"Ollie’s going to flip his shit, you know."

"And I don’t care. This isn’t about him. This is about way too many awful people getting away with what they’ve done. And I can do something about it."

"Okay, but that means I want my leather jacket back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written June 30th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	26. Felicity Smoak & Thea Queen & Sara Lance & Laurel Lance

"And this is why I never want to go anywhere with you."

"Your welcome," Thea ignored Felicity’s protests and arranged their (expensive, but thankfully small) pile of purchases on the chair next to her.

"I see why you were suddenly so busy with work," Felicity turns to Laurel, who is sitting across from her and unburdened by bags.

"Is it at least stuff you’ll use?" Laurel asks, "because I have to words for you: glitter catsuit."

"That looked so cute on you," Thea protests.

"But so inappropriate for every occasion."

"Like I told you when I bought it, it’s perfect for a costume party."

"And yet, in the last two years, I have not been to a single costume party."

"You could wear it out on patrol tonight," Sara appears, a small coffee in her hand.

"Yeah, and leave a trail of glitter behind me for every criminal in Starling to follow me back to the foundry."

"Okay, maybe leave it at home tonight," Felicity says.

"Well I guess you’ll have to wear it to Verdant’s costume party on Halloween," Thea’s already making a list of party supplies on her phone.

"Since when is there a costume party at Verdant?" Felicity asks.

They should all really be on patrol that night. Halloween is always a messy one.

"Since Laurel complained about the catsuit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written July 11th, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	27. Tommy Merlyn/Laurel Lance

"Just put the knife down, we don't have to do this."

Sara turns the corner in the recently abandoned warehouse to find Laurel, her face covered by her red mask, trying to talk down a man in a black mask.

He’s shaking so hard he barely keep a grip on the knife, and his voice wavers with fear more than rage, so Sara stands back and lets Laurel take care of it.

"Where am I?" the man shouts.

"About thirty miles outside of Starling City," Laurel’s voice is soothing, in a way Sara imagines she’s had practice using with the people she defends in court.

"How… how did I get here? What time is it? Where did I get these clothes? Who are you?" 

He sounds confused on the first three counts, and scared again on the last.

"We’re here to help. Just let us know what we can do. What’s your name?"

It’s not a straight answer, but it’s not like they can just give a masked stranger their names, no matter how scared he seems.

He moves his arms, and Sara readies herself for a fight. But all he does is remove his mask.

The staff Laurell was holding falls from her limp hands and clatters to the ground.

"Tommy…" she whispers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written August 3rd, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	28. Tommy Merlyn/Laurel Lance

"When was the last time you just looked at the stars?"

"Have you been drinking or is this just another side effect of the Lazarus Pit?"

"I’m trying to be romantic."

Laurel sighs and rests her head on Tommy’s shoulder.

"It’s been a while."

"Yeah, I guess you’ve been too busy putting on a leather catsuit and beating the shit out of criminals," he says that grin she’s missed so much.

"Tommy," she swats playfully at his shoulder.

"Sorry," he sobers. "I’m just wondering if there’s a place in this crazy new life of yours for… a recently resurrected zombie who’s struggling to keep a grip on his sanity."

Laurel turns to look him in the eye.

"Tommy, these two years without you have been a mess. And I can only imagine how how hard it is to wake up one day and find out that so much time has passed and no one is the same. But no matter where I am in life, there is always a place for you."

They both look away, not quite ready for the other to see the tears threatening to spill.

"I needed to hear that," Tommy mumbles.

"Okay. But I have to warn you, you should probably start learning some hand to hand combat," Laurel says with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written August 3rd, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	29. Felicity Smoak & Sara Lance & Laurel Lance & Thea Queen

"In retrospect, the kitten heels were a bad choice."

"Vigilante 101: It does not matter how tiny the heels are, they are a terrible choice," Sara calls out, knocking the man in front of her in the head with her staff.

"Addendum to Vigilante 101: Wedges are still heels," Laurel calls from a short way down the alley, where she and Thea are making quick work on another three thugs.

Felicity kicks off her shoes just in time for a fifth man to run at her. She drives her knee into his groin, just like Sara made her practice dozens of times.

He crumples to the ground, gently cupping his genitals.

"Seriously?" she yells. "You’re a hitman by trade and you don’t wear a cup?"

She can hear Sara snort, as she knocks the last of their assailants to ground with a sickening crunch of one of his legs.

Thea and Laurel approach, Thea holding what appears to be a photograph in her hand. She shows Felicity and Sara.

It’s a photograph of her.

"A calling card from daddy dearest, I assume," she remarks, as she leads the way back to the Foundry. Anger radiates off her back, even though she’s trying to mask it, and even goes so far as to roughly shrug off the comforting hand Laurel lays on her shoulder.

Sara and Felicity bring up the rear.

As they approach their headquarters, Sara leans in towards Felicity.

"We need to buy you boots for next time."

Felicity doesn’t think Sara’s referring to any of the dozen or so pairs she has bookmarked on her computer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written August 3rd, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	30. Thea Queen & Roy Harper

Coughing up her glass of wine, she calmly wiped her face off, took a deep breath, looked up at him, and said, “I’m sorry, what?”

"I miss you, I’m sorry, I should never have ended things," Roy repeats weakly.

"No, I was referring to the part about my brother."

"I should never have listened to Oliver when he told me the only way to keep you safe was to break up with you."

"He said what," she spits.

"He was just trying to look out for you. It’s my fault for listening."

"Of course it’s your fault Roy. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to rip him a new one," she stands up, straightens the hem of her dress, and strides across the room to where Oliver is involved in a conversation with Diggle and Felicity.

He doesn’t seem to see her coming.

Roy calls after her.

"So does that mean—"

"It means leave me the hell alone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written August 3rd, 2014 for a first sentence prompt.


	31. Felicity Smoak & Laurel Lance & Sara Lance

"I'm bored. Why aren't you entertaining me?"

Laurel rolls up off the mat and repositions her leg, her eyes focused on Sara even as she responds to Felicity, “You mean watching me get my ass kicked doesn’t entertain you?”

"You almost had her there once… for a few seconds… a half an hour ago," Felicity tries to be encouraging, but there isn’t much for her to say.

"I could take you," Laurel reminds her jokingly.

"And that is why I do my job from down here, when there is actually something to do," she mutters the last part to herself.

"You should practice with us," Sara says, cutting her staff toward Laurel’s ankles.

Laurel jumps just in time.

"I don’t think I’d be much help," Felicity points out.

"No, but we can help you. Basic self defense."

This isn’t the first time Sara’s made the offer. Diggle has too. She’s even taken them each up on a couple of training sessions.

But now Diggle has the baby to look after, and Amanda Waller to keep out of their hair. And Sara’s busy training Laurel at a pace that’s putting Oliver and Roy to shame.

"It’d be good for my ego," Laurel adds, stumbling as she catches the edge of a blow from Sara. "And fun."

"There is nothing fun about the bruises I see on your body."

"You’d be surprised. We can get Big Belly Burger after."

Laurel has learned, very quickly, that take out and shoes serve as a great motivator for Felicity. She imagines a spin in the tall red heels she saw Laurel wearing the other day will be her next offer.

A night on the town in those shoes would be worth the injuries.

"Come on," Laurel pleads, walking off the mat to take a deep gulp from her water bottle. Sara does the same, discarding her staff by her jacket.

"I promise not to leave any bruises," Sara tells her, "at least none that won’t be covered by your clothes."

"Fine," Felicity agrees. "Just let me change."


	32. Tommy Merlyn/Laurel Lance

"Do your eyebrows look like that on purpose?"

"Do you know something about this?" Tommy asks, hands on his hips, trying to hold onto whatever seriousness he could.

But with half of his eyebrow shaved off, that’s nearly impossible.

Laurel, on the other hand, is laughing so hard she’s fallen over in her seat on the couch.

"I know that Thea was not happy with the way you followed her around the party last night, jumping in the middle of all her conversations."

"I was just looking out for her," Tommy protests.

"I know, but as good as your intentions may have been, Thea is an adult. She gets to make her own decisions. And besides, if any of those guys had overstepped themselves, Thea is more than capable of handling it."

She’s right, Tommy knows. But it’s nice to feel like the protective big brother sometimes, even if he is the only regular Joe in a group of masked crime fighters.

Maybe he should take a computer class and see if Felicity needs help on that end. At least it wouldn’t be as embarrassing as having a baby sister who could totally kick his ass.

Then again, he’d seen first hand what Felicity could do with a computer. Maybe he’d stick to being everyone’s convenient alibi, and deliverer of enormous orders of takeout.

Yeah, he was pretty great at that.

Sitting down on the couch next to Laurel, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"And tell me exactly how Thea got into my bedroom," he whispered in her ear.

Laurel reddened.

"She brought breakfast. I swear I was only in the bathroom for ten minutes…"

"So you were her accomplice," he gasped. "There’s only one way to deal with this."

His arm dropped from her shoulder to her side, and started wriggling against the sensitive skin on her stomach.

Laurel’s reaction was immediate. Her legs and arms curled in around her, in an attempt to fight him off. In most situations, she could take him out in an instant, but he had the element of surprise.

At least he had his superior tickling abilities to cling to.


	33. Dick

"If I went through your google history, what would I find? How to charm women and children? Best way to scale a building?"

"The first one comes natural to him, and the second would depend on a number of variables," Tim chimed in, not bothering to look up from his computer.

He missed the exasperated look Dick shot at the back of his head.

Laurel threw her body sound on the couch with a sigh.

"So is there anything you aren’t naturally good at?"

"He’s a terrible cook," Tim responds.

"Tim, could you go do that somewhere else, anywhere else?"


	34. Laurel Lance & Felicity Smoak

"Have you listened to a word I've said in the last 15 minutes?"

It takes Felicity a few seconds to realize that Laurel is glaring at her over her smoothie.

"I’m sorry, what were you saying?" she asks, refocusing on her friend’s story.

"Just that they finally announced a date for the Merlyn trial, but I’m sure whatever you were staring off into space at was way more… oh," Laurel trails off into the same daze Felicity just snapped out of.

"Who are they?" Felicity asks.

"According to their t-shirts, the Starling U lacrosse team," Laurel replies, not tearing her eyes away from the men a few tables away. "Looks like they just got out of practice,

"I’m going to suggest more post-yoga smoothie sessions, then," Felicity suggests.

Laurel checks her watch and then looks up at Felicity with a grin, “I can do the early class if this is my reward.”


	35. Laurel Lance & Thea Queen & Felicity Smoak & Sara Lance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little something for Day 5 of Laurel Lance Appreciation Week on tumblr. The theme of the day was Favorite Friendship.

**Girls' Night In**

"Remind me again why we’re doing this?" Laurel asks over the intercom.

"Because we’re strong independent women who don’t need to wallow in self pity on Valentines Day," Thea voice crackles back.

A few seconds later Felicity’s voice pipes through the intercom, “But we only have so many arms, so if you could come down and help us bring this stuff up, that would be great.”

It takes two trips for them to lug everything up to Laurel’s apartment, even though Thea had insisted on coming over to decorate the night before. But soon enough, Laurel is bringing out plates of fruit and chips and dip while Sara starts making smoothies and Thea and Felicity sprawl out on Laurel’s couch.

"Really, you guys could have brought a bottle of wine," Laurel insists, "it wouldn’t have destroyed me, I’m in Verdant all the time."

"Hey, I’m still underage," Thea points out, which sends Laurel into a fit of laughter. 

She’s pulled Thea off of enough nightclub tables and held her hair back while she puked enough times to not buy her innocent act. Even Felicity and Sara have heard enough stories to chuckle at Thea’s comments.

Thea’s remarks are clearly meant to distract Laurel from pressing the issue further, but they just serve to remind her how great it is to have friends like hers.

"This is great," Felicity says through a mouthful of apples and dip, "but it needs more chocolate."

"Trust me, there’s plenty of chocolate for after dinner," Thea insists.

"Yeah, I think I carried that bag up. My arm still hurts," Sara jokes as she sets four large smoothies down on Laurel’s coffee table perches on the arm of the couch. "So what’s the on the agenda for tonight?"

Everyone’s eyes turn to Thea, who shrugs.

"Talk, eat, movies, eat," she says.

"Hope to god Digg keeps Oliver and Roy from critically injuring themselves while we enjoy the night off," Felicity adds.

"See, I was thinking we just pretend they don’t exist tonight. No thoughts of nightly patrols, brooding brothers, or assassin ex-girlfriends and fathers. Just Chinese food, and chocolate, and the finest movies that Lifetime and my DVD collection have to offer," Thea suggests.

"I can definitely do that," Sara agrees. "As long as you brought something decent to watch."

They spend the 20 minutes it takes for their food to arrive arguing over what movie to watch. They make it half-way through the movie before before giving up and resorting to an old favorite pastime, grilling Thea about the endless stream of suitors she’s juggling.

It’s almost midnight when they break their promise of not discussing work, to listen and Sara recounts a run in with Nyssa from the week before. Laurel figures that, despite all that shit that’s gone down in her life, at least she’s lucky enough to not have an ex-girlfriend trying to kill her on a semi-regular basis.

When she collapses into bed around 3 AM, Sara already out cold next to her and Felicity and Thea asleep in the living room, Laurel’s glad she doesn’t have to work the next day. She’s also hoping Sara doesn’t sneak out at the crack of dawn, because there’s no way she’s cleaning up all by herself.


	36. Thea Queen & Laurel Lance

"The lock on the door was broken so I just let myself in."

"And I would be totally okay with that if you weren’t holding a knife in your hand."

Thea hastily slides the knife back into the holster in her jeans and smiles sheepishly at Laurel.

"Sorry, I just… feel like someone’s going to come at me at any moment. Another one of his tests." She sits down on Laurel’s couch and throws her head back against the cushion. "God, that’s so fucked up why didn’t I see that sooner.”

Tentatively, Laurel takes a seat on the opposite end of the couch and turns towards Thea.

"Because Malcolm Merlyn is a master manipulator. He spent more than a decade convincing everyone in this city that he was an upstanding businessman and philanthropist, never mind the number he did on Tommy."

"Tommy," the name is heavy on Thea’s lips. "Another reason I should have known better. Tommy loved everyone and he hated his father. I should never have gone off with–"

"Thea," Laurel’s voice is strong and commanding, "this is not your fault. Your life was screwed up beyond belief. Your mother was murdered, Oliver was keeping secrets, and Malcolm took advantage of it. It’s not your fault."

"But Laurel," Thea’s voice wavers and Laurel can hear her pushing back tears, "I’ve done so many terrible things."

Slowly, Laurel rests a hand on Thea’s knee.

"And you won’t be the first person to come back from that. We’re not going to hold that against you. If you want, we just go down to the Foundry and–"

"No," Thea seems almost scared. "I can’t tell him."

"Oliver," Laurel assumes.

"Not now. Not yet."

"Fine. I’ll call Sara and have her come over when she gets off patrol. She’s been in a worse position than you are. She’ll have advice. And Felicity. If we need to find Merlyn, she’s our best bet."

"And she won’t tell Oliver?"

"She won’t."

Laurel understands Thea’s question. When Thea left eight months ago, neither she nor Laurel really knew much about Felicity Smoak except that she was a friend of Oliver’s who came out of nowhere and that she seemed to know a lot about the secrets he was keeping. But between Sara’s insistence that she was good people and months of Felicity’s voice buzzing in her ear, helping her out of tight spots while on patrol, Laurel knew Felicity would understand the gravity of this situation. And she would respect Thea’s need to keep this from Oliver.

"If you say so."

"Look, they’re going to be out until at least 3 AM. I’ve got leftover Thai in the fridge, but if you’re not hungry you should get some sleep. You look exhausted."

Laurel watches as Thea forces her tired eyes open, the scared look returning to them. She guesses Thea hasn’t exactly slept easy since Malcolm started training her.

"You can take my bed," Laurel suggests. "I’ve got a ton of files to review for work, so I’ll be up until they get here."

It’s part explanation, and part promise to Thea that she’ll stand guard while she sleeps.

"Okay," Thea reluctantly agrees. "Can I borrow some sweats."

"Second drawer from the top."

As soon as Thea disappears into the bedroom, Laurel grabs her phone off the coffee table and dials Felicity’s number. Better not to accidentally interrupt Sara in the middle of a fight.


	37. Thea Queen/Barry Allen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've stopped watching Arrow as of episode 3.01, so you shouldn't expect much from me anymore when it comes to fic. This was written for a friend's birthday.

“And you know what he did?” Thea tells Sara as they walk across the library, “He offered to call my professor.”

“To do what, pay him off?” Sara laughs.

“I think so,” Thea shrugs. “I had to beg him not to. The last thing I want is my big brother trying to bribe my professor into giving me a better grade.”

“I mean, I’m not shocked that Ollie would think that’s appropriate, but over a B?”

“Over a B on an assignment that only makes up five percent of my grade,” Thea rolls her eyes.

She spots their usual table, but there’s already someone sitting at it. It looks like he’s sleeping. It’s big enough for all three of them to fit, though, and Thea and Sara are working on separate projects, so it’s not like they’re going to be talking much. Sara drops her bag in the chair at the opposite corner from the guy, and goes off in search of the books she needs. Thea takes the seat directly across from Sara, and unloads her bag.

The sound of her laptop turning on, jolts the guy from his sleep.

“Sorry,” Thea apologizes as he looks around confused.

“No problem,” he grins, and Thea can’t help but notice that he’s cute. He’s not usually the type she goes for, though, in his button down and sweater.

“I’m Thea,” she introduces herself, knowing full well that she should really be focusing on the paper she has to write.

“Barry,” he holds out a hand to shake and she does.

“So what’s your major?” It’s the most cliché question in the world, but Thea thinks you can tell a lot about a person based on it.

“Chemistry,” he tells her. In her books that means he’s smart, kind of nerdy (not that his sweater wasn’t a giveaway), and studious. Thea doesn’t have any friends who are chemistry majors.

But maybe it’s time to change that.

“I’m in hospitality management,” she tells him, hoping to draw him into conversation,

“That’s cool,” he tells her, angling his body towards her. “What do you want to do with that?”

Technically, the answer is that she wants to take over the entertainment and hospitality division of Queen Consolidated (also known as the large number of hotels and nightclubs they own), which is one of the largest companies in the United States. But she’d rather not mention her connection to QC off the bat, even if Barry doesn’t seem like the type to be impressed by that.

“Well right now I’m bartending, and I’d really like to move up the chain into management,” she actually is employed as a bartended at Verdant, one of the nightclubs owned by Queen Consolidated and run by her half brother, Tommy. She’s just neglected to mention the part where Tommy intends to hand over the reigns to her as soon as she graduates.

“That sounds like a lot of fun. I’m interning with the forensics department at Starling PD.”

Thea can see Sara returning with a giant pile of books, so she knows she has to wrap this up.

“Do you work Friday nights?” she asks Barry.

“No.”

“Well I’m on the bar on Fridays,” she also works Mondays and Wednesdays and the occasional Saturday, but Barry doesn’t seem like the type to go out on a school night. “You should stop by,” she pulls a Verdant business card out of her bag and hands it to him as Sara drops her books on the table.

Barry doesn’t come by that Friday, and Thea’s a little disappointed. But he shows up the next Friday, looking completely out of place in another button down and sweater combo. It’s a good thing she gave the bouncer his name, otherwise he never would have gotten in.


	38. Halloween (Sara Lance & Laurel Lance)

“Where did you even get these?” Sara asks, picking up one of the shoeboxes sitting on the coffee table. “There’s no way dad held onto all these.”

“Mom,” Laurel explains. “She’s moving… with that guy, so I offered to take them off her hands.” There’s a hard edge to her voice.

“Oh,” Sara says.

Clearly Laurel’s upset about it, but Sara knows not the push the issue. Laurel will talk when she’s ready.

“Those are from Halloween,” Laurel nods towards the box in Sarah’s hands.

Sara shifts the box into her lap and opens the lid with glee. Halloween was her favorite holiday as a kid. She liked candy better than any toy Santa left under the tree.

When she and Laurel were little, their father would take them first to the tiny neighborhood behind the elementary school, then to the neighborhood where all of Starling’s richest citizens lived.

It was a long walk, the houses were set on large estates, but it was worth it for the king sized candy bars.

As soon as Laurel was old enough trick or treating by herself, she insisted on taking Sara with her. Those years were even better. Sara felt so mature tagging along with Laurel and her friends.

She skips the three years of Laurel-only photos, until she comes to the one of her, dressed as a little baby strawberry. The costume was a hand me down from Laurel, and one of the only years their parents got away with doing that.

Laurel wore a black leotard and cat ears. In the photo, she’s lying next to Sara on their front lawn with her hands raised up like cat paws.

“We were really cute kids,” Sara comments.

Laurel leans over her shoulder to see, “Yeah, I’m not sure what happened to you, though.”

Sara reaches over her shoulder to swat at her.

She skips forward a few years, until she can be certain no one was choosing her costumes for her.

At four, Sara had insisted on going as a clown, and then insisted that none of the clown costumes in the stores were the right one. She knows because her mother used to remind her every year of what a pain it was to track down a green curly wig to go with her home made costume. Laurel wore another leotard, this one pink.

She had a very short-lived ballerina phase.

When Sara was five and Laurel was eight, they wore their karate costumes. Sara remembers being so jealous of Laurel’s yellow obi.

They flip through the photos together, laughing over glow in the dark skeletons, witches, Disney princesses, and that one year Laurel insisted on going as a bunch of grapes. By the time they got home, she’d popped nearly half of the balloons their mother had painstakingly glued to a purple shirt and leggings.

There’s a brief gap in middle school, when they both decided they were too cool for Halloween. When Laurel was thirteen, their parents forced her to take Sara trick or treating. In that photo Laurel’s glaring into the camera, while Sara smiles in her butterfly costume.

Then come the high school photos. Those costumes nearly gave their dad a stroke.

They didn’t let him see what they wore in college. The only photographic evidence sits on Laurel’s old Myspace account.

“We should do something this year,” Laurel suggests, after they’re done laughing about the time Sara nearly face planted into a pile of mud in her first year of college because the heels on her Minnie Mouse costume were too high.

“Don’t you have to patrol the streets?” Sara asks. She remembers their dad coming home exhausted on Halloween night.

“I can afford a few hours off,” Laurel tells her. “Even if we’re just handing out candy.”

“I’ll rent some horror films,” Sara says.

It sounds like a great night.


End file.
